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This volume of Construction News contains the following articles: "In the Sanctuary - What Is It?", "A Wall/Door Not in the Plans", "Work in the New Music Area", and "The Fire Marshall Visits - Answered Prayers".
In the Sanctuary - What Is It?
If you have looked into the sanctuary in the past three or four weeks, you have probably noticed the two very tall, thin objects rising from the floor near where the chancel was. Various members of the congregation have speculated that they are pillars (“too short – they don’t reach anything”), parts of a new altar, and other ideas too far-fetched to mention.
A brief description of the “twin towers”: Each is about 11 feet tall, made of wood, and identical in shape. If you looked inside, you would see something that looks like a part in your home entertainment center. These are “subwoofers”. Each will be laid on its side and placed under the chancel floor to become an integral part of the new sanctuary sound system.
We asked Jeff Brouwer, Covenant’s sound “sound man”, to tell us more about the subwoofers. Here is part of his response.
When installed, they will be totally invisible and placed beneath the stage. The design has been coordinated with Turner Universal so the subwoofers fit under the stage with no interference--this is why they are only 2' tall and so wide. The openings in the stage in front of each speaker will be covered with the same grill being used for the organ pipes.
The purpose of these subwoofers is to reproduce low frequencies, similar to the big, long pipes of the organ used to play the lowest notes. Physics dictates that to play low notes
at any volume, the transducer needs to be large. Accurate subwoofers are sonically invisible for most music and add impact and majesty when a low note is played--again similar to the pedal notes of an organ.
A major advantage of having separate subwoofers is that the primary speakers do not have to reproduce very low frequencies. This makes their job easier and results in less "boomy" sound--voices will be clearer.
So now you know!
A Wall/Door Not In The Plans
It’s pretty hard not to notice the new wall and door just to the right as you enter the building from the parking lot. This new wall/door is not in the plans and, in fact, will disappear after the need for it is gone.
OK, what exactly is the need?
When preschool starts, the children, and their parents will no longer be able to use the south entrance to the Education wing as their entry to the children’s wing. Neither will they be able to use the door just outside the sanctuary to leave after school is out. That leaves only one entrance/exit: just outside Fellowship Hall!
But when the children come to preschool and leave preschool each day, they will pass ongoing construction in the sanctuary, narthex, and old administration wing. And, being the curious children they are, some of them will be tempted to investigate the construction area. By having a wall and a closed door, we hope to remove the temptation, ensure the children’s safety, and control the flow of traffic.
When all construction is completed in the sanctuary/narthex and new music area, the need for a wall/door will no longer exist and so the wall/door will be removed.
Work in the New Music Area
All the carpet in the hallway leading to the old administrative offices is gone! So is the carpet in the old offices. What happened??
Before demolition could continue and renovation into the new music area could begin, removal of all traces of asbestos had to occur. That required that the carpet be torn up and the floors treated down to the concrete. That work was completed on July 30.
What happens next? Since renovation includes removal of a load-bearing wall, the first step is to construct four steel pillars beginning in the basement and running to just under the roof and connecting to a frame upon which the roof structure will rest.
Next, Turner will complete demolition and then the subcontractors will build new walls, install new electrical and lighting, and new flooring (after all the floors are bare now!)
What about the bathrooms? Asbestos removal and renovation will take place after the new bathrooms in the Children’s wing are completed.
The Fire Marshall Visits – Answered Prayers
For the past few weeks, Pastor Mark and others have been asking the congregation to pray that common sense guide the decision-making of the Fire Marshall on building-related fire safety issues.
The Fire Marshall was particularly concerned with fire safety issues in the preschool hallway and rooms since they are used for more than just regular church events. Some issues noted in preliminary discussions with the Fire Marshall involved the return air system and not having a fire-rated corridor. Possible solutions included changes to the return air system, a sprinkler system, and an additional fire corridor exit. Obviously some of these solutions would have been costly and time-consuming to implement.
In order to better assess the situation, the Fire Marshall visited Covenant this past week. As a result of that visit, a set of very safe, yet practical, solutions were proposed by the Fire Marshall.
The next steps are to have JH Partners provide necessary plans/drawings, Turner will provide cost, and we'll work together to provide an implementation schedule to the Fire Marshall.
Our goal is to minimize disruptions to the preschool by having the majority of the work done during a "2nd shift", from 1pm - 9pm.
While this does add cost and more work to the project, the result will be even more confidence that our children are learning in a safe environment
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